Illinois High School Football Team Announces Early End To 2026 Season

Sherrard High School will play this week before cancelling the remainder of the season due to low numbers at the varsity level.

The season will end for the Sherrard High School football team after this Friday, as the school district announced they will play only junior varsity games for the remainder of 2026 due to low numbers. | Sherrard Tigers Football/Facebook

An Illinois high school football team will provide fans with just one more opportunity to see them compete on the field this season.

Sherrard High School confirmed with KWQC that they will play this week before cancelling the remainder of the upcoming campaign. The decision stems from a lack of players ready to compete at the varsity level.

Earlier this month, the Tigers kicked off the season with a 47-0 loss to Newman Central Catholic High School.

‘Tremendously Difficult Decision,’ School Officials Say In Cancelling 2026 High School Football Season 

“This is a tremendously difficult decision because we know how hard our players and coaches have worked,” Sherrard High School Principal Alex Johnson said. “We also understand that Friday night is not just about a game, but a community.”

The Tigers will play Orion High School this Friday, August 28, before turning complete attention to the junior varsity season for 2026. The hope is that by building on that, they can return to a full schedule in 2027.

Sherrard’s roster currently has five seniors on it, as head coach Zach Weigel stated that they will honor those players and their families with the usual Senior Night traditions during the contest against Orion.

Sherrard Lost Its Season Opener, 47-0, Playing Without Several Athletes

In a report from WRMJ, it states that the roster for the Tigers features 30 players total, with eight being juniors to go along with the five seniors. Before taking on Newman Central Catholic, they were forced to travel without several key players due to mononucleosis. 

Weigel did not expect to have many of those players back for multiple weeks.

“This is an incredibly tough decision but one that we know is the right one to make at this time for our players and programs,” Weigel said. “We are heavily focused on building the Sherrard football program up from the top down and know that this tough decision will help us develop our team.

“While we are heartbroken for the five seniors we have, we are confident that this decision will benefit our program for years to come.”

Multiple Teams Now Minus A Game Due To Decision To Cancel Season

The decision by the Tigers not only impacts their players, coaches and fans, but also those of schools such as Rockridge, Kewanee, Princeton, Hall Putman County, Monmouth Roseville, Mendota and Mercer County. Those teams all had games scheduled with Sherrard throughout the rest of the 2026 season.

Members of the Three Rivers Mississippi Conference, Sherrard went 2-7 last year and the season before that, as well. They won three games in 2023 and had an eight-win season all the way back in 2009.

Eisenhower High School cancelled its 2026 season before the year began, citing low participation numbers and player safety.